Harry Potter and the City at Twilight
by WaterInAPuddle
Summary: Draco solicits Blaise's help to complete a new mission after the disaster of the first nearly cost him his family. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are off to destroy horcuxes and Ginny must face Hogwarts with only Neville, Luna, and Colin to keep her company.
1. The Old Mansion

Disclaimer: The characters belong to J. K. Rowling as well as any back plot history. Kool-aid points to anyone who knows what I quoted from Shawshank Redemption. Also, for future reference, I am greatly influenced by Tamora Pierce. Sorry, J. K., but she's my all-time fav.

1Chapter One: The Old Mansion

The old house was falling into disrepair. There were shingles missing. A few of the shutters were barely hanging on while others had lost this losing battle. What little of the paint that remained on the house was faded and peeling off. Even some of the windows had cracks or holes missing from them. A few even had panes of glass that were completely gone. And with the lightening crashing behind the crumbling chimney, a look of the least welcoming house in Great Britain painted a most terrifying picture.

The people of this town were not surprised at seeing one dark figure making his lonely way towards the old Crolis mansion. Those who had children old enough to walk made sure their children were all accounted for and not roaming the streets on such a bleak night. Luckily for the town villagers that night, none of _their _children were out.

The lone dark figure was tall, cloaked and driven as if all hell were after him. It was little wonder that the figure ran up the stairs to the old derelict building and opened the front door. Only someone associated with hell would enter that cursed mansion. Upon opening the front door, a rather large snake laid upon the dusty hallway floor as if it expected him to be there. She looked expectantly at the hooded figure before turning and slithering further into the house.

The dark stranger hesitated before continuing after the snake and found her stopped in front of a closed door. The only hint that the room was expecting him from the dark and dusty corridor was the flickering of light seeping through the crack under the door. The man stared at the door until the snake made an hissing sound that seemed to egg him onward. He quickly opened the door and stepped inside before he could change his mind.

Upon opening the door to the room, the man found only one dark green leather arm chair placed in front of a large fire, its back to the door. He hurried until he was between the fire and the chair and then knelt in homage to whomever it was in that chair. From the chair the harsh command "Speak!" was heard.

"My Lord, I have some urgent news," was all the snake gleamed before it turned away from the door and headed towards the kitchen in search of a rat to gorge on. The snake only returned when her master hissed the word "Nagini." After leaving slithering lines throughout the halls, the snake found herself in the room the man had entered not long before her. She eyed a spider hungrily before she noticed the dead body of a man on the rug before her master.

"I have a treat for you, Nagini," he hissed at her. "Be a good girl and eat your supper before it gets cold."

)CaT(

Surprisingly, in the daylight, the old Crolis place looked frighteningly worse than it did when lightning played behind it. The inside of the house was not nearly as dusty, but signs that it needed repairing were evident. Floorboards were cracked and even missing in places. All the doors squeaked and some did not even close properly. All in all, it was a place of filth and destruction. It was not very surprising that a cloaked figure exited the house on this day, hood thrown back.

The forest green robe was made of a rather light material for this hot June day. Luckily for the wearer, there was a small wind to cool him off. The sun seemed to radiate off his almost silvery blonde hair and perfectly pointed features. He could have been likened to a rodent, his features were so sharp. Yet it was apparent no one would ever tell him this to his face; he had the unmistakable air of someone who was born and raised in wealth. He held himself up high, wearing an air of dignity and pride as a cloak, and a face perfectly smoothed from worry, care, or any other emotion someone without money experienced.

The young man had reached the end of the walkway before his perfectly balanced face was screwed up in thought. He remained this way until he reached the other end of the village, where the villagers could almost swear they heard him whisper that he'd need help. But everyone could bet their bottom dollar, as that was all they had, that the boy had shouted "Blaise!" No one in the village could really explain either of the phrases, but they'd tell anyone who'd listen, which was not a lot, that the young man had come from the Crolis mansion and had struck himself a deal with the devil named Satan.

The villagers would also swear that once the young man had reached a certain point outside the vicinity of their downtown, which held nothing more than their grocery store and a gas station, he just up and vanished like a fart in the wind.

)CaT(

Draco Malfoy sat at his desk eyeing an old, decrepit book that from the looks of it dated back to the Roman's rule. Blaise Zabini had sent it over earlier that day. He had owled Blaise the day before saying it was urgent and that he needed his help. Blaise had sent him a ruddy book saying that it was the answer to all of his problems. Draco could not see how this book could be the answer to all of his problems, so he sat there and eyed it with distaste. At least Blaise had also written that he would come over and explain things. A knock at the door to Draco's study disturbed his reverie on why books on meaningless crap were stupid.

Much to Draco's delight, a tall, black boy with slanted eyes walked into the room. He had the grace of a cat and a walk to go with it. Draco stood up, a look of gladness upon his face, and shook hands with the young man.

"It's good to see you, Blaise. And mind you, you came not a minute too soon. I think my eyes were about to bore a hole in that book you sent."

Blaise's face lit up at that statement and he was about to respond when another, tinny knock was heard at the door.

"Ruddy house elves," Draco muttered before opening up the door to see a small house elf, with knees knocking, standing there. "Well, what do you want? Doesn't it seem like I'm busy here?"

The house elf stammered, "I-it's P-p-professor S-s-snape, sir, he is wanting y-you. He is waiting i-in the study, sir."

Draco sighed, clearly annoyed, "Tell him I'll be down in a few minutes." He hated going to his father's study. He could not understand why Prof. Snape would want to meet him there, but he knew it would be anything but a pleasant run-in with his old potion's professor.

"You should be kinder to them, you know," Blaise said off-handedly as he played with a paper weight on the desk.

Draco just shook his head. That just didn't merit a response. It was something Granger would say. Draco wrinkled his nose at that thought. At least he wouldn't have to deal with her for much longer…

Draco steeled himself and left the room to talk to his ex-potion professor. The plan would have to wait. He knew that he was in for a lecture, and he'd bet it would be a long one.

)CaT(

In the study Severus Snape, a greasy haired, sallow-looking man, chose an expensive looking chair and sat down. He eyed the other expensive looking chairs, and couch, before smirking. Sure, the Malfoys had money, but they were quickly falling out of favor with the Dark Lord. Lucius Malfoy had been blundering up ever since the Dark Lord had gone to Godric Hollow all those years ago. It didn't help that Draco seemed just as incompetent.

The door to the study opened at that time and in stepped the person of Snape's thoughts. He had managed to smooth over Draco's mistake to the Dark Lord by saying that the task he wanted was completed; Dumbledore was dead and it was due, in part, to Draco's planing. The Dark Lord had barely accepted that. If it had come from any other man, Snape was sure the Dark Lord would have not only destroyed the whole Malfoy family, but also the family of the man or woman who had dared to defend Draco. Snape merely smirked as Draco entered the room and sat in the chair across from Snape.

"I expect you know why I came, Draco," Snape began. "I know all about your mission. I want to offer you my assistance. Your mother had requested that I come here today to do so. So, what is the brilliant plan this time? I hope it is nothing like the last one; it didn't go over nearly so well as you had hoped, I see. Well, boy, are you going to say something?"

"I can handle this on my own, Severus. I don't need your help. If all you came here today to do was nag me, I would be much better without it. And you may know of my assignment, but I am not going to reveal my plans to you." Draco stood up. "It was nice to see you, Severus, but you can manage your own way out."

"Do not play with me, boy! Your mother is worried about you and I made a promise to assist and protect you as best I can. You maybe willing to let her down, but I am not. Perhaps you need time to realize that there are some of us you can trust. And before you say it," Draco had his mouth open to interrupt, "I am not here to steal your glory. You'll need all you can get to keep you alive. You're barely hanging by the skin of your teeth."

"Really, this is enough. I am not going to tell you my plans and I do not need you to continuously lecture me on how you saved my arse. I get enough of that from my mother. If you have anything else to say?" Draco waited half a second. "Good, then I'll be going now. Again, it was nice to see you, Severus, but really, you shouldn't have wasted your time." Draco started walking towards the door.

Snape reached out his arm and stopped Draco. "If you ever need any help, you can always come to me. Remember that, Draco." And with a popping sound, Snape had disappeared.

)CaT(

Draco went back up to his room after his ex-professor had left. He didn't feel very comfortable calling him Severus, but it was better than calling him just Snape. And he very well couldn't call him Professor Snape anymore. He had already been scolded for trying once. No, he called him Severus, felt uncomfortable and got on with the conversation. Maybe one day he would get used to it.

Draco was just counting himself lucky that he had been able to skirt out of yet another one of Snape's monotonous, long-winded lectures. At least that was less time spent on boring, useless banter, which meant more time figuring out what Blaise had in mind, reasoned Draco. He opened the door and sat in a chair.

"Sooo, Blaise, what did you have in mind?" Draco asked as he took his original chair behind the desk. Blaise, it seemed, had opted to lounge on a rather plush couch near the bookshelf. Draco picked up the book Blaise had sent earlier and studied the cover. He had no idea why anyone would want to read about Atlantis, after all, rivaling wizard families had sunk the island into non-existence ages ago…

Expecting to find the history of Atlantis within the pages of the book, Draco tentatively opened the cover. After all, history was never his favorite subject at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. How could it be with a monotonous drone of a ghost for a teacher? Draco was personally shocked that no one had died from boredom in that class so far. However, Blaise seemed to eat history books up in one sitting. Draco could never understand it, _but_…it saved his grades more than once.

Draco tentatively opened the cover of the rustic book. If the book had gotten up and sung him the ditty that the dwarf had crowed to Harry Potter that fateful Valentine's Day in his second year (he still got tears of joy from that), Draco would not have been more surprised. Instead of a singing book, however, Draco had lying in front of him a…a journal. He blinked in surprise. Then he looked up at Blaise.

"You should actually read it, mate," Blaise hadn't even looked at him. He was too preoccupied playing catch with the paperweight. "Just read it. It won't actually take too long. I won't discuss my plans to get you out of hot water until you do, anyways."

Draco's curiosity had gotten the better of him. "By the way, Blaise, why haven't you join up with the Dark Lord? I mean, you're helping me now, and that's furthering the goal of the Dark Lord, right?"

"Well, when you look at it that way…I still wouldn't join. Sorry to disappoint, my friend, but it's just not for me. I'm not saying power to muggles or any of that bullshit. But, I like not belonging to someone. And I'm not doing this to help the Dark Lord, Draco. As much as this would further his goals, I'm only thinking of you. I mean, you're the only one who understands me…well, understands me and accepts me for it. So no, I think I'll pass on being your evil sidekick obeying our Dark Lord's every command. He probably wouldn't accept someone like me anyways. Most people don't and he's less forgiving."

"Alright, you win. I'll read this bloody book before you go all sappy on me. Mind you, it's not from lack of trying," Draco shook his finger at him. Blaise laughed at the picture Draco Malfoy made wagging his finger like some angry housewife.

Draco turned to the first page of the journal and began reading. Blaise had been right; it was an easy read. It was also remarkably interesting as well, albeit a bit disbelieving. The author, or journal writer or whatever you wanted to call him, had lived on Atlantis all his life; he had been a home schooled wizard, like many of the magic users in those days. He further confirmed the warring families, the Karrahdrahs and the Barharroths, had led to the downfall of the island. But that's where the similarities of what Draco had learned and what he was currently reading ended. After that, the story changed dramatically. According to Tiber Morfessa, the author or penman or journalist…whatever, the warring factions had not completely removed the island from existence. In fact, in theory, the island should still be there…although it would be impossible to find, which wasn't exactly helpful.

As it turned out, the families had gotten into such a heated agument when the author was around the age of 17, that they began an all-out magic battle. Between all of the curses and potions and spells muttered by the different families (wands were also non-existant) the island did not disappear into the water, but rather created a vortex situation. No one who entered the island could leave. However, somehow the author had left the island; it mentioned something about a "gateway of special powers wrapped in purple". Tiber claimed his father had used the remainder of his considerable magic to make the portal to Tiber's mother's land. So there was one way out of Atlantis for those who knew how to find it.

It all hit Draco like a bag of bricks…hard. He now knew what Blaise's brilliant plan was. He looked up at Blaise and casually, for appearance sake, asked, "so what happened to those two idiotic families? Tiber never mentioned what became of them…"

Draco had asked the right question. Blaise's eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "that's the best part, mate. It seems that they had drained all their magic in that one battle-war that they…well, they degenerated. They're worse for wear, so to speak. They've turned to primalistic _muggle_ behavior. It took me ages to find the second book Tiber Morfessa wrote and he's even our ancestor!"

If Draco had been drinking anything, he would have choked or spitted it out, but, fortunately for him, he wasn't. "You've got to be joking me. Maybe this guy is for real…"

"Of course he is," Blaise dismissively waved his hand. "But that's beside the point. My plan is to create portkeys and get all of them there. Then we'll follow and attack them unawares…or at least remove their wand. You know how I'm not all for the blood and…ehk."

"I guess. I'm supposed to get rid of them…not kill them…"

"And with how you handle killing…maybe it would be better if we just made it so they can't return. They should be able to hold their own against the cannibalistic natives, but if not, no one will know, right?"

Draco could only agree with what Blaise's idea was. It was apparent that Draco just couldn't kill someone after his last mission. He shook his head. It wouldn't do anyone any good to reminisce about the awful bloody past. "Well," he sighed, "let's get to work. It's a dungheap we have to sort through and we might as well start as soon as possible."

Draco and Blaise worked well into the night. They would go to bed (Draco had extended the visit to an invitation to stay at the Manor until the project was finished) and wake up early the next morning just to start the cycle again. And that's how it worked until the summer months were drawing to a close. Once they had finished, Draco took half the objects to a local owlery and mailed them to their intended victims. Blaise took the remainder and placed them where he knew the ones they were intended for would find them. They only had one remaining portkey, and they would wait until a designated time to mail that one to its specific victim. It would be the portkey of all portkeys…and it would cause a chain reaction that would set off the other portkeys. That is why it took them so long to set up; no one had ever done such a thing before.

Then, on September 1st, Draco sent one of the small family owls to give the remaining portkey to the last victim. They both waited, knots in their stomach, until after suppertime. They packed two bags full of food and an assortment of essentials, ranging from cloaks to toothpaste, and threw them on their backs. Then they each pulled out their wands and, after a glance at the other, muttered the apparition charm that would take them safely over water and through vortexes, to the land of no return.


	2. The Long Expected Wedding

Disclaimer: The title should be familiar to those who heart the LOTR books, albeit tweaked. Of course, Les Misérables by Victor Hugo belongs to Victor Hugo. I do recommend it to you guys, and, for those of us who are not inclined to read profound works, I'd try the abridged version. ;)

Chapter Two: The Long-Expected Wedding

Ginny Weasley sighed. Regardless of how much Fleur Delacour had improved in the Weasleys' eyes, she was still very, very annoying. Ginny could not stand girls like her, who were forever bemoaning their looks. Well, it could be worse; Fleur could be moaning about her brother's, Bill's, shattered looks. But she wasn't, so she had improved in their eyes…a little. Bill, however, had only survived the first week after Fenrir Greyback's attack because Fleur had stayed by his side…in fact, Mrs. Weasley had to, on more than one occasion, force the girl to eat and sleep. It was the only reason why Ginny's mom was happy about the prospect of the wedding in the middle of the war.

Ginny, however, wasn't happy about the wedding. It meant that she would most likely run into her ex-boyfriend, and her brother's best friend, Harry Potter. She still had feelings for him, even though he had crushed her heart at the end of last year and at a funeral, no less. He said he wanted to protect her, but breaking up with her wouldn't change anything. Her last name was Weasley, so regardless of whether she dated Harry or not, Ginny was already a target of the most evil wizard to…well, grace this planet. She shook her head, grace? Tom (as she called him since she was taught to never say…Voldemort) still haunted her in her dreams and she knew he wanted her dead. After all, all death eaters seem to believe Weasleys would better suit the planet better dead. They believed that about muggles and magic users of muggle lineage too. So Ginny was mad at Harry because he broke up with her for one of the stupidest reasons she could think of.

Ginny stared through the bars of the stairwell into the rather shabby-looking sitting room. Her brother, Ron, was sitting at the aging desk writing what could only be a letter. And that meant that Harry was truly invited to the wedding. She could only hope that there wouldn't be enough room at the house for him to stay any longer, although she knew in her heart that her mom would make room for the boy-who-lived.

Ginny shifted her gaze toward the noise coming from the kitchen. Honestly, with the way everyone was fighting as to how the wedding was planned…well, they'll be lucky if they get a wedding at this rate. Ginny knew it was worse than it sounded. Mdm. Delacour wanted nothing short of the Ritz for her daughter (in fact, she insisted that all of her family stayed at the closest Ritz, as well), but the wedding would be held outside in the Weasley's backyard. Ginny had to admit that the gnome-infested lawn was the greatest attribute to her home. It would be big enough to fit all the guests but nowhere near as expensive as any other place. However, not only did Mdm. Delacour insist the groom should pay for it all, she insisted that it be done to her taste. Ginny's mom wasn't having any of it though. Ginny decided to brave the kitchen and find out what, exactly, they were arguing over this time.

With a sigh, Ginny stood and stretched and walked down the last few steps of the stairwell, hoping that she would not be dragged into yet another argument. Ginny knew better than to hope, but she did so anyways. Opening the door, Ginny learned that they were arguing over the service…Mdm. Delacour did not want her daughter married so barbarously (AN: M. Delacour is a snob who believes only her way is the right way; this statement no way reflects the author's viewpoint)…under a canopy! What nonsense! Shocked, Ginny realized her mother did not appreciate the choice either. Rather, they were arguing over alternatives. Fleur sat ungratefully in the corner, miserable that the wedding seemed to be deviating from her expectations yet again. And that's when Ginny felt sorry for her. Fleur wanted to marry Bill in her own way, not their parents' ways.

Ginny was not left with that thought for long; her mother soon spotted her and, like a child who reached the last bar of chocolate first, gleefully cried, "Ginny!" and reality crashed upon Ginny; she'd have to pick yet another side to another pointless argument.

"Yes, mum?" She asked as innocently and with as little vehemence as possible.

"Be a doll, and tell us, which wedding reception is better? The classic wizard asking for vows and uniting the lovers with a marriage charm, or—" and Ginny noted the stress on the word or "—would a, er, classic Veela wedding sound better to you?" Mrs. Weasley smiled a sweet little smile that read "if you don't agree with me, you'll regret it!" at her daughter.

Like a cornered animal, Ginny sought possible escape routes. As her eyes darted around the room for something she could change the subject to, her eyes landed on the very dejected looking Fleur and she knew her answer. "Well, mum, honestly, I think that since this is Fleur and Bill's wedding, they should decide on how they want the service," Ginny spoke with as much courage as she could, hoping this would end the ridiculous argument.

Mrs. Weasley looked unsure. "But, honey, they're planning on a…a druid wedding design…" Hope seemed to flicker into Fleur; perhaps she'd get her dream wedding after all…

Ginny's copper eyebrows shot up, "Really? I thought most people frowned on those kinds of weddings because they symbolized eternity. I—wow…Mum, I kinda like her idea." Ginny glanced in Fleur's direction and realized that was why Fleur wanted the untraditional wedding styles. She wanted to prove to the Weasleys and, from the way Fleur defiantly looked at her mother, her family that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Bill, and only Bill. And Ginny realized that she had chosen the right side, whether her mother agreed with her or not. Ginny made up some lame excuse about having forgotten to do something…or the other, and left the room, before someone tried to change her mind.

Escaping into the living room, Ginny noticed that Ron must have finished her letter. Relief flooded her body. Ever since Harry had broken up with her, Ron had been trying to find out what had happened. Neither she nor Harry told Ron, knowing that he would blow it out of proportions…the famous Weasley temper would strike again! Ginny shook her head and made to the bookshelf in the corner of the room. She had finished reading all of her books and completing all of her schoolwork for school next year and, rather than pull a Hermione and memorize all the books, she was going to find a book in her parents' collection. Finally deciding on Healing Remedies for Every Household by Rawanda Shanks, Ginny made her way to her room, glad she still hadn't run into Ron.

Luck seemed to be on her side, she had yet to run into Ron and she was already in the hall her room was in. "There you are, Gin!" Ginny froze at those words. Great. Just great. "I've been looking for you everywhere. I just sent a letter to Harry inviting him to the wedding. We'll be getting him tonight, whether the Dursleys like it or not. So…" Ginny forced a happy look. It apparently worked since Ron was still oblivious to their breakup…unless, of course, Ron lacked tack, which was true as well.

Smiling her fake smile, Ginny replied, "That's nice. Well, I've got to work on some homework so I'll see you later, eh?" Ginny turned away from Ron and went into her room, afraid that if she stood out there anymore the tears would flow and Ron would find out. As much as she was mad at Harry, she was not going to let Ron get mad at him too. Who knew? Ron would probably side with Harry for the same reasons. She was not weak! She'd show them all…one day she'd show them all.

Ginny spent the rest of the day learning about the fascinating field of modern healing. It tore her mind from the issues at hand and gave her a career goal. Sure, an auror would be nice, but after the war was over and after the bad guys were all round up…Ginny was no longer sure if that kind of life would suit her. But being a healer would be beneficial before_ and _after the war. Furthermore, she liked it. Ginny knew the counters for every hex she knew and that might be helpful, especially since she knew each hex like the back of her hand as far as symptoms went.

The tell-tale signs of dinner were wafting through the house. Regardless of how poor they always were, they always ate yummy food, thanks to her mum's cooking. Heading to dinner after she had been called, Ginny knew that it would be anything but pleasant. It would definitely be awkward. Luckily, Fleur motioned for Ginny to sit between her and Bill. Ginny gratefully accepted it. Fleur wrapped Ginny in a hug as soon as she sat, which caused Ginny's eyes to pop out in surprise, and muttered, "zank 'oo, Gin." Ginny merely smiled at her before Harry walked in the room and avoided her gaze. Thank God the wedding was in three days.

As soon as everyone was seated at the table, Fleur announced to the table that they had made the arrangements for the druid service. He would be coming tomorrow to set up the service section. That only left the setting up of all the preparations. It seemed that tomorrow would be jam packed and stressful. So much the better for Ginny.

The next few days passed away in a hazy blur of rushing that left everyone exhausted. Even Ginny, who was still underage, was allowed to help out since the ministry wrote the creed that allowed young witches and wizards the right to use their magic should they need to. However, it was still monitored and any underage magic user caught performing magic in front of a muggle when not threatened with death would be arrested and tried. So even magically, Ginny was drained each night.

She woke up the morning of the wedding exhausted. As soon as realization of what morning it was did she spring out of bed. A glance at the clock revealed that everyone else would be finishing breakfast before rushing to get everything ready. Ginny threw on some clothes and rushed downstairs. She managed to eat some eggs and bacon and drink a bit of juice before rushing to help Fleur get ready. Both Michelle, Fleur's sister, and Ginny were her bridesmaids. Charlie, Ginny's second oldest brother, and Seth, a code breaker Bill was friends with, were Bill's choices. Charlie was the best man, however.

After frantically putting Fleur in a simple, druid-style wedding gown (her mother had refused to let her wear anything that would not match the service, to Fleur's delight). Both Ginny and Michelle frantically dressed in their simpler druid-style dresses. In the end, it looked as if they had not frantically donned the dresses, much to their happiness. Fleur picked up her wedding bouquet, which consisted of wildflowers. Ginny remembered that each type of flower held a significant meaning as did the number of the kind of flower, but she could not remember the meanings for the life of her. She took a deep breath. The types of flowers were not important, only that she did her part right.

Taking a collective deep breath, the three girls made their way to the back door of the Burrow. Unable to break away from some tradition, Ginny lined up next to Seth (Michelle had wanted to walk with 'Jarlee') and made the slow progression to the canopy. Taking the designated spots around the canopy, the druid told Ginny to stand in the spot of fire, while Seth was placed on water. Once Charlie and a beaming Michelle came forward, they were designated to their respective spots, Michelle stood on air while Charlie took earth.

Finally, Bill escorted Fleur to the canopy. They stood in the center, their predecessors to the canopy each holding a corner of the canopy. From outside the canopy, the druid began the ceremony. Uttering a call in a language no one understood, Bill and Fleur felt a tug at their hair. In a moment, it was gone but Ginny noticed two strands of hair flying to the druid and landing on his outstretched palms. Still muttering in the ancient language no one could understand, the two strands twirled upon themselves and formed two rings. The rings came to hover above his palms, one red-hot and the other white-hot.

With a clash of what sounded like thunder, the rings seemingly disappeared. Ginny cried out the words as instructed by the druid with the others. Then a feeling a fire rushed through her as a wind picked up and created a vortex surrounding the love-struck couple. When Ginny felt like she couldn't take anymore, the druid yelled, this time in English, "Child of fire and Child of air united as one for all time!" And the wind suddenly died as the fire within her stopped. She was exhausted yet again, and relieved. The ceremony had worked.

The reception was yet another blur for Ginny. She was busy scribbling the entire ceremony down; she never wanted to forget it. She felt rather than saw someone sitting next to her. Glancing up, she noticed Michelle. She smiled at her before continuing to write.

"I 'ave somezing to ask 'oo. Did 'oo feel the wind blowing within 'oo?" Michelle looked at her intently.

Ginny glanced up at her, "No, the wind was blowing all around me." Michelle's face seemed to fall with those words. "But, there was a fire raging within me. I suppose you didn't feel like your insides were on fire, did you?"

Michelle shook her head. "It zeems that we felt whatever corner we ztood on. I zall ask Jarlee what 'e felt." And with that statement, she left Ginny. Ginny watched her retreating back for half a minute before scribing down the events. She wondered if Charlie realized he was being admired by Michelle and if he returned her affections. She would have to ask him some other time. After seeing the various guests, including some close family members, leave, Ginny was ready to call it a night. There was only her parents, the newlyweds (much to Mdm. Delacour's dismay), Ron, Hermione, Harry, and herself staying. And Ginny really did not want to wind up alone with Harry.

Finally settling down for the night, Ginny went to sleep dreaming of love and marrying that special someone in a druid ceremony. However, she could not recognize who the man was and her dream awareness of him only acknowledged that it was not Harry. She woke up the next morning and, remembering her strange dream, realized that she was a lot angrier at Harry than she thought. Perhaps she should give him a piece of her mind; after all, it seemed like destiny when they had finally hooked up last year. She didn't want to dream of marrying some unknown guy when fate seemed to have linked Ginny to Harry.

She climbed out of bed and changed quickly. Upon looking at the clock, Ginny realized that she didn't need to rush. There was no way that anyone but Hermione would be awake this early. Not even her mother would wake up at 6 am to make breakfast. But her mom would wake up at 7 am to do so. Since Ginny could not sleep, and a glance to the bed Hermione had stayed in revealed it to be empty, Ginny decided to find the bushy-haired girl and together they could make breakfast.

The sounds of hushed, anxious whispers echoed to where Ginny stood, right outside her bedroom doorway. Unsure if it was her parents discussing Order business, as in business against Tom, Ginny crept down the stairs, careful to not step on the creaky steps. By the time she reached the first floor landing, the voices seemed to be heading in the general direction of the kitchen. As soon as the kitchen door could be heard swinging shut, Ginny rushed as fast as she could stay quiet to the kitchen door. Upon putting her ear to the kitchen door, Ginny received the ultimate shock of the morning.

"If we don't go now, we won't get another chance, Ronald! They don't expect us to do anything yet!" Hermione's urgent whispering could be heard through the door.

"We need to get the horcruxes now, mate," Harry's whispering was not nearly as urgent, but it held a determination of steel.

Ginny could hear another door open and realized that they were leaving now and she was now the only one to know! She had to do something, anything. Ginny rushed through the kitchen door as soon as the front door shut. She threw herself at the doorknob and looked out the window beside the door to see a faint shimmer of three people through the morning fog that had gathered. Her sweaty palms grasped the handle and she heard Hermione say, "Well, let's first hit Italy and then we'll leave for you-know-where as soon as we land, ok?" before her hand decided to oblige her and open the door. As soon as she did, Ginny heard three tell-tale cracks; they had already disapparated.

Knowing nothing could be done to get them now, Ginny stared blankly into the backyard. They neglected to tell her anything…again. They never told her anything, not even when she dated Harry. He never told her any of his problems. He never sought her help for any of their great schemes. Perhaps he never really did see her as anything more than a sister to protect from the evils of the world. She knelt on the front stoop of the porch and forced herself to not cry over a git like him. If she wasn't important enough for Harry to share his secrets with, she didn't need him. She would find someone else…one day.

After a few minutes, Ginny stood up and made her way back into the kitchen. There was no way she would be able to go back to sleep, so Ginny decided to make breakfast for the family. By the time she had finished, her mum would be up (and therefore her dad) and Bill and Fleur would need to be awake to make it in time for their honeymoon reservations. She would have to tell her parents, but not in front of Bill or Fleur. They deserved to have as much of a fun-filled honeymoon as they could, under the current circumstance, that it.

Ginny's mum came down shortly after she had started. One look at Ginny and Mrs. Weasley remarked, "Why, you're up early, dear. And making breakfast too." Mrs. Weasley's joy at her daughter making breakfast was punctuated with a kiss. She then bustled around to set the kitchen table.

Deciding that she had better tell her mum sooner rather than later and that Bill and Fleur would not be awake for at least another half an hour, Ginny stated, "They left, mum. I just missed them."

"Who, darling? Fleur and Bill aren't supposed—"

"No, mum; Harry, Ron, and 'Mione." Ginny paused as the cutlery hit the floor with a clatter. "I overheard some whispering, and, you know me, I snuck downstairs to catch some of it. I managed to hear something about a hunt for horcruxes before Hermione told them to go to Italy first. They're planned to leave Italy as soon as they arrived for…someplace else. I don't know where…she said to them 'you-know-where' and then they left. I only had enough time to throw the front door open and they were gone."

Ginny looked down at her feet, willing the tears that had gathered to go away. A sigh could be heard from her mother. Ginny was afraid to look, afraid to lose the composure she just barely had. "I knew they were planning on leaving; I should have realized they'd try to leave as soon as they could. At least Ron stayed for his brother's wedding." A sniff escaped from her mother and her voice became watery. "I'd better tell your father." Her mother stood up to leave.

Ginny couldn't believe the way they had left, as if they were above good-byes. "Mum, please don't tell Bill or Fleur. They deserve to have something resembling a honeymoon." Mrs. Weasley nodded before heading upstairs. At least Bill and Fleur would leave after breakfast.

)CaT(

Breakfast passed relatively quietly and the tension seemed to be made into apprehension by the two love birds, who continuously assured the family that they'd be fine on their honeymoon and they needn't be so worried. A collective sigh of relief could be heard by the three Weasleys now that the newlyweds had left and the risk of slipping about Harry, Hermione, or Ron was gone.

After explaining, yet again, to her parents what exactly had happened that morning, Ginny asked to be excused. She wanted to find something to read to take her mind off of things and she didn't care what. But first, she'd have to find a book as she had already finished her mother's personal collection of healing for housewives. Deciding that Hermione might have left some alternative reading in the room she had borrowed, Ginny made her way up to the second floor and peaked into Percy's old room. On the nightstand next to the bed, Ginny found a brand new copy of the book, Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Fascinated that Hermione would know enough French to read a book of _that_ size, Ginny picked it up. Seeing that Hermione had, indeed, not touched it, Ginny decided she should try the book out, especially when she discovered that the words were in English. Ginny took the book from the room and headed to her own room to begin reading the novel.

)CaT(

Immediately, Ginny was fascinated by the idea of the good bishop, who claimed that Jean Valjean (who Ginny quickly learned to be the predominant character in the story) had not stolen the silverware (which he had) the police had found him with. When asked why he had lied to save the convict's neck, the Bishop told Valjean that the money obtained from the silver was to make him an honest man. Ginny was shocked. The bishop reminded her of Professor Dumbledore. Perhaps this is how he had operated; lead those who had wandered in the dark to the path of light. Ginny was fascinated and could barely put her book down for dinner. It was even better that she knew the book would last her a while; after all, it was well over 1,000 pages.

As silent as a cat, Ginny crept down the stairs to dinner. She knew her parents would be talking about the trio and wanted to know what they truly felt about it. She had the feeling that they had been hiding something from her. Yet, upon reaching the kitchen door, it was not the trio her parents were discussing, but rather her.

"She needs to go to school, Molly. She should be able to have that opportunity! Furthermore, Minerva is depending upon Ron and Ginny going to school. She's not certain of anyone else coming."

"But that's just it, Arthur. Ron won't be there anymore to watch for Ginny. I'm worried about her, especially after what happened in her first year."

"That was a long time ago, Molly. You need to let her grow-up and take a hold of situations herself. Just trust her, please."

Ginny couldn't understand why everyone insisted that she couldn't take care of herself. She was sick of it. She was a Weasley and she'd show all of them. Upon hearing her mother say "I'm just afraid of losing another child…and this child permanently," Ginny entered the room.

The dinner was eaten in silence. Upon finishing her meal, Ginny looked up at her mother and stated, "I'm going to Hogwarts. Dad's right, and besides, I've already gotten my books and things. It would be a waste not to go." Before anyone could ague with her, Ginny ran back upstairs to the comfort of Victor Hugo and his philosophical ways.


	3. On the Hogwart's Express

Chapter Three: On the Hogwart's Express

"Ginny, darling, wake up!" Mrs. Weasley's voice resonated throughout the house. "Breakfast is ready and we have to set out soon!"

Ginny turned over in her bed. Why did she have to get up so early for? As realization dawned upon her, Ginny jumped up from bed and fumbled for something to wear. She was going back to Hogwarts today! Hopping and putting on her shoe, Ginny entered the hallway. After completing her task of getting ready, she all but ran down the stairs. She did, however, slip down a few and managed to stay on her feet.

Gobbling down her food, her father grabbed her trunk and stuffed in the back of a non-magical car (much to Mr. Weasley's dissatisfaction). Noticing that Ginny was nearly finished, Mrs. Weasley cleared the rest of the table. "Ginny, darling, we need to hurry!"

Ginny quickly grabbed her book while her mother cleaned the remaining dishes. _So this is what it would be like next year_, Ginny thought. _No one here but me_. She managed to make it out of the door right before her mother did and they both practically ran to the car where her father was waiting. Mr. Weasley had taken the liberty to start the car and wait their. Ginny slipped into the backseat and strapped herself in a seatbelt by the time her mother had made it in the car. With the slam of the door, Mr. Weasley floored it. Mrs. Weasley grabbed the handle above the door (which Ginny had decided to call "oh shit handles") and they left the town of Ottery St. Catchpole.

)CaT(

Ginny and her parents rushed through the barrier separating platform 9 ¾ from the muggle train station King's Cross. Her father quickly placed the trunk onto the train. Ginny glanced around and saw only a few parents with their students and not many more watching the train that their students were on. Were the other parents afraid to watch their children off for fear of Tom? A bear hug from her mom brought Ginny back from her thoughts.

"You be good, dear," Mrs. Weasley squeezed her youngest child. "Don't you go following in your brothers' footsteps. I better not get any toilet seats in the mail or letters from Professor McGonnagall."

Her father hugged her once his wife let go of Ginny. "I'm sure we'll be proud of you. You keep up the good work."

After being released by both of her parents, Ginny barely managed to get on the train on time. She waved from her spot in the doorway. Once they were out of sight, Ginny wandered around looking for a compartment filled with friendly faces.

Ginny's heart fell into her stomach as she realized that most of the compartments were empty. The reason why so few parents were there was because they weren't going to be sending their students, not because they feared Tom. Hoping to find someone, anyone, she knew, Ginny frantically searched the compartments, scaring a few of the younger students in the process.

Finally acknowledging that she might be all along this year, she rested her back against a compartment door. Recognizing the voices of those in the room, Ginny flung open the compartment door and hugged the first person she saw.

"Are these…Ginny! How are you?" There was no doubting the dreamy voice of the blonde girl in front of her.

"Luna! Oh, you don't know how happen I am to have found you guys. I had thought I was the only one coming back! So how was your summer? Did you do anything exciting?"

"Well, hello to you to, Gin," Colin Creevey's voice held the hurt of her not acknowledging him. "I'm doing excellent, thank you for asking. You're _so_ thoughtful. How do you do it?"

Ginny had the decency to blush. "Sorry, Colin. Hey Neville. I just got caught up in the moment is all. And, after Luna is done, I'll gladly hear what happened during your summer."

"Well, father and I went snorack hunting. Sadly we had to stop so I could go back to school. We decided that Hogwart's needed our support. Perhaps next summer, we'll be able to find a snorack…" Luna Lovegood's dreamy voice trailed off. There was little wonder amongst her friends why others called her Loony Lovegood. She always wore a far away look and talked about such creatures as snorack that the wizarding community insisted didn't exist.

"Mmm. Well my summer was incredibly boring. Dennis told mum all about you-know-who and we pretty much couldn't do anything exciting or fun. But I did manage to complete all my homework this year." Colin Creevey told them. Colin had been close friends with Ginny ever since he managed to find out what had happened to her in her first year. Even though the rest of the school had not found out about the truth of the Chamber of Secrets, Colin had a knack of getting to the truth of any story, something that could help him if he ever decided to take his camera skills into journalism.

"Well, my summer was boring too. Gran let me work in the garden all summer. She was amazed at all that I had learned in Herbology. Apparently Professor Sprout had told her how much I enjoyed it and how much I had learned and she hadn't believed her at first. After watching me work, we went shopping for a plant of my own. That's how I got this," Neville Longbottom proudly displayed his new, potted plant. The plant happened to resemble a bunch of porcupine spikes sticking up from a plant. While one grade above the others, Neville liked hanging out with them better than the people in his grade.

"What kind of plant is that, Neville?" Colin asked.

"This? This is a…well, I don't really know. I'm going to ask Professor Sprout. I, eh, think it's a…uhm, well, I don't want to say. It's not supposed to exist."

"It's okay, Neville. It probably does exist and the government is trying to suppress the information," Luna encouraged in her own eerie way.

"Well, er, that is, it's a sporifica nesticia. That is, the uhm…commonly people would call it the Atlantis needle plant." With that, Neville lifted the plant up some more.

"Those are very rare. Daddy once was sent one." Almost as an after thought, Luna added, "It didn't live very long."

Neville, Ginny, and Colin just stared at her. Eventually, Ginny turned to Neville and asked, "So where did you get it?"

"Oh you won't believe this! There was an old hag selling plants along one of the streets in Diagon Alley. We had most of the plants that she had at home. Well, we had gone to the plant store and I didn't find anything that suited me. So Gran told me to look at the hag's wares. And I saw this plant. There was only one of it and when we bought she cackled something about me being very knowledgeable about plants. With that we left. But, funny enough, when I looked back she was gone. I figure she packed up for the day. It was getting late after all." Neville shrugged.

Colin scrunched his brows together, apparently deep in thought. Just as he was about to ask something, there was a tap at the window. They all looked to the window and saw an owl with a letter tied to its leg. Ginny stood up and opened the window; the bird flew in and circled above their heads. It was a gorgeous eagle-owl. _Whoever owns this bird must have a lot of money_, Ginny thought wistfully. She loved owls. She opened the door for the bird to seek its recipient and sat back down.

"Can I see your, er, Atlantis plant, Neville?" Colin asked.

"Sure," Neville gingerly handed over the plant to the eager hands of Colin. "Just be very careful with it. I might have the only one. And the needles might have some kind of poison in them."

Luna glanced over her upside down Quibbler paper. She was wearing a band of golden-colored feathers. "It's virtually indestructible and the tips of the needles are the only poisonous part." She retreated behind her paper.

"Oh and here's the original pot it was in. I thought it was too small for the plant, so I transferred it into a bigger pot so it could grow freely." Neville informed Colin.

"Can I see that?" Colin switched the plant for the pot. "Interesting."

"Hey Luna, what are you wearing on your head?" Ginny asked, catching another glint of the golden feathers.

"They're griffin feathers. Worn over the eyes, griffin feathers reveal illusions." Colin stopped looking at the pot to glance at Luna's head dress. Neville looked away from Colin to glance at what everyone else was talking about. It was rather peculiar looking, he had to admit.

"Oh," Ginny replied. "Ouch! What the…" Ginny had been pecked by the owl, who still hadn't left. "Look, I opened the door for you—" Ginny gesterured towards the hallway—"Why don't you go find the owner of that letter your carrying? I'm sure they'll find some treat for you…" Ginny was properly pecked again. "Ow! Stupid bird!"

"I think the letter is for you, Ginny," Luna remarked. "See who it's for?"

Ginny untied the letter from the owl, who promptly flew away. "It's addressed to me. Who'd be writing to me already?"

"Open it, Gin," Colin muttered, sniffing the dirt of the potted plant. Eyes widening, Colin asked Neville, "Wjo gave this to you?"

"Why?"

"Because I think—" Colin never finished his sentence. As soon as Ginny broke the seal, he disappeared. Neville looked up from his plant to see…nothing. All three of his friends were gone, vanished without a trace.


	4. Unexpected Arrivals

Sorry this is so late. First finals (including a loooong paper) and then packing to go home kept me super busy. Then laziness set in . But, I finished this one .

Chapter 4: Unexpected Arrivals

Ginny's fingers slipped beneath the seal; it was made of red wax and had a dragon within its crest, as well as some words Ginny couldn't read because they were so small. There was a pain in Ginny's navel as if a hook had attached there and was pulling her to some destination. As soon as it had stopped, Ginny felt the sensation of flying through the air, a blur of colors assaulting her senses, and, before she could get her bearings, a sharp pain exploded in her head and the world went black.

A weird sensation filled Ginny as she opened her eyes. She was lying on the seat across from Neville on the Hogwart's Express. She sat up and looked around, but she saw neither Luna nor Colin. Looking at Neville, Ginny could only wonder at what was wrong. Neville was pale and his eyes were darting everywhere. She tried to call out to him, but her throat was taut and not even a guttural noise issued forth. She felt detached and could only watch helplessly as Neville left the compartment.

)CaT(

Neville glanced around the compartment. Where had everyone gone? Ginny better not have stolen Harry's invisibility cloak and be playing a trick on him. If the Slytherins found out, well, he was already enough of a laughing stock as it was. But they wouldn't let the Slytherins know if they could help it. After all, they were his friends.

No, it was the great gossip chain that had him worried. He looked out of the compartment. There was no sign of them anywhere. He shut the compartment door and pulled down the shades. He then proceeded to jump on the seats and search every nook and cranny for them. He even search areas he was _sure_ none of his friends could get into. They were no where to be found.

"Alright guys, very funny. You can come out now." Neville waited, holding his breath. As soon as he couldn't breath anymore, he realized his friends were no longer in the compartment. Darting eyes frantically scanned the compartment once more. Neville then opened the compartment door and went off to look for them elsewhere on the train. He was silently begging whoever would listen that they were somewhere, _anywhere_, on the train.

Remarkably, Ginny found herself floating after Neville, feeling strangely aloof. It was as if she were having an out of body experience without using any magical spells or potions to do so. She watched as Neville glanced down both corridors and headed left, clearing deciding to check where the snack trolley was last. As they made their way down the corridor, she found Neville searching each and every window for any sign of his friends. Even Ginny felt the panic rise up in her as she realized that Luna and Colin were no where to be found and Neville could not see her. Oh, she hoped she wasn't dead. It was rather too pathetic to die this way, much like the guy who used magic wrong and wound up being squashed by a sumo-sized troll.

Neville checked the compartment they had been staying in before heading to check the remainder of the train. Ginny, still mistily floating behind Neville, started glancing in the rooms Neville was passing by. Luna and Colin were no where to be found! One compartment's shades were pulled down, and Neville entered it glancing around. Ginny knew rather than heard him make up an excuse about a missing toad, Trevor, before closing the door on the astonished second years. Ginny knew Trevor had been securely locked away in the compartment, but still felt indignant; he should be looking for Colin and Luna (and possibly her body) instead of his toad! If Ginny had been more of herself, she would realize how silly she was thinking. Unfortunately, the detached feeling was brought on by a lack of brain usage, as the brain remained in the body, and Ginny was therefore unable to think rationally.

Eventually, Neville reached the end of the train and they had seen neither hide nor hair of either of their friends. Ginny, in a dreamy sort of way, realized how ridiculous it must look to see them just standing there in front of the meeting room (for prefects), or, if she truly was having an out-of-body experience, Neville must look ridiculous. Neville took a deep breath and opened the door to the room. Ginny then realized his eyes were closed and couldn't help but wonder if he had been searching with his eyes closed the whole time. Opening his eyes, Neville instantly recognized a robed figure with brilliant red hair. Ginny was sure he sighed her name before he took off running into the compartment. Something just didn't feel right to her, though.

Still at the doorway, Ginny was finding it harder to concentrate on the image in front of her. She could tell that Neville had spun around the girl and a look of shock appeared on his face. She then realized what felt so funny to her. The girl was most likely a first year, and now very scared at how Neville was behaving.

"You're not Ginny…" she could hear Neville saying. "Ginny…Ginny! GINNY!"

Ginny sat up and started pitting the sand that she felt in her mouth out. She had a killer headache and could only wonder where the sand had come from, as she still hadn't opened her eyes. Once she did, though, she rather wished she had not. The world had become bleary and a rather dull, sandy color. Even the sky seemed to be a dull sandy color. It was rather disconcerting, really.

Finally a blurry head popped into her view and she could make out Colin's voice. "Are you alright, Gin? You've been out cold for a half an hour, maybe. Luna and I have been trying to get you to wake up since we found you."

"Are you alright, Gin?" Colin, who was kneeling in front of her, asked, hands still on her shoulders from when he had shaken her awake.

"Umm…where are we?" Ginny's eyes had finally come into focus and she could not recognize where she was.

"We don't really know. Are you sure you're okay? You dashed your skull on a rock. We've been trying to get you up for an half hour already." Colin was looking into Ginny's eyes, as if they would reveal what she had yet to say.

"My head does sort of ache. And that might explain the weird dream I was having. Poor Neville," Ginny sighed.

"You should tell us your dream, Ginny," Luna mistily stated while staring into the distance. The feather band was still across her brow and _the Quibbler_ was dangling loosely in the hand by her side. "After all, when nimbly bobberheads lead their prey astray, they tend to give them dreams of what is happening with those they care about."

Colin and Ginny stole a glance at each other and shared a smile. They were sure Luna had a creature for every oddity that could possibly happen. Recalling the events in her dream, Ginny and Colin soon lost their smiles. Ginny realized that her dream may have been more than a dream; after all, she woke up in the middle of the desert with Luna and Colin with Neville still back on the train as far as they knew.

After checking Ginny's head one last time for any cuts, the three of them decided that they should head off in one direction, making sure to reference the sky, in order to find some sort of shade or place in which they could rest until they decided on what they should do.

Upon standing up, Ginny looked for the rock she could have hit her head on. She found none; instead, right where her head was, Ginny found the book she had been reading on the healing arts. Ginny sighed; at least she had finished reading that book of Hermione's on the train. She would not have been able to last very long without knowing how the book had ended, and it looked like she wouldn't have been able to read it for a while.

Picking up the book and dusting as much sand off of it as she could, Ginny had to run to catch up with the others.

"What did you find, Gin?" Colin, with a look of great curiosity, asked.

"It's that healing book I found in my house. Apparently this is what I hit my head on." Ginny handed the book to Colin who proceeded to examine the book. Wordlessly, Colin handed the book back, approval written on his face.

"Maybe I could borrow that book one day," Colin asked more than stated.

"If you're willing to carry it, I'll let you borrow it now." And with that, Ginny handed the book over to Colin.

)CaT(

If there was anything to the horizon, Ginny swore it would be blurry. In fact, Ginny wasn't even sure there was a horizon; the heat was visibly snaking up from the dull-colored sand into the same dull-colored sky, blurring into a seamless, sand-colored ball engulfing them. Besides noting the lack of color, all Ginny really grasped was that she was in dire need of water and that the heat was oppressing her to the point of fainting. She knew it was no easier or different for Luna or Colin. None of them were still wearing the oppressive, black school robes.

"Could this be any worse?" Colin's voice was barely audible, whether because he could no longer speak loudly due to being parched or if her own hearing was failing her.

And then, without warning, a wind picked up and Ginny discovered that, indeed, it could get even worse. Now she couldn't see for the sand in her eyes and she doubted that Luna or Colin would be able to see either. Her face was also being eroded away by the coarse sand soaring across. She threw her hands up to protect her face and attempted to find Colin and Luna.

The dull sand color of the world got worse with each passing gust of wind. Ginny was finding it harder and harder to see even her arms in front of her face; the world had completely taken on the color of sand. Realizing any search for Luna or Colin now would be utterly fruitless, Ginny remained still, wrapping her arms to protect as much of her face as possible. Remembering the robe she had draped around her waist, Ginny quickly removed it and threw it on her head, hoping to further stop the sand from assaulting her eyes.

And as quickly as it had begun, the wind died. Tentatively removing the robe from off of her head, Ginny was amazed by how much sand cascaded off of her. Well, she really shouldn't be, she scolded herself. Sudden laughter alerted her to where Colin was. Amazingly, he was not much further from her. Attempting her best glare, Ginny hoarsely attempted to yell, "What's so funny about us almost being buried alive by sand!"

In between fits of laughter, Colin barely replied, "your…your hair!...it's…awful…don't dye…it…blonde…" And at the word blonde Colin completely submitted to the laughter.

Luna must have followed the laughter over to Colin and Ginny. Stopping in shock as soon as she saw Ginny, Luna remarked about how there must be some creature playing a cruel joke on them, to turn both Colin's mousy brown hair and Ginny's flaming red hair blonde. They both remarked that she looked better with her natural color than the sandy blonde currently donning her head and Luna blushed, either realizing it was the wind that blew the sand in everyone's hair or because she had been complimented, neither teen knew.

And as soon as the blush had crept away, Colin was pointing to the distance, crying "look!", and pointing at a dark silhouette on what they hoped was some sort of horizon.

The three of them whipped out their wands and waited for the figure to come closer to them. As the figure approached, it was apparent that the sand-colored hair was truly black beneath the sand and that he was wearing rather bagging clothes, sort of resembling old elephant skin and that he had glasses. Ginny was the first to recognize the boy she had been (and, if she were to be honest with herself, still was) in love with. Her eyes widened with shock, but she recovered before the other two recognized the boy who came to them, Harry Potter. Unsure of whether it was the real Harry, Ginny kept her wand raised.

Harry seemed to take a few minutes to recognize them. When he did, evident shock appeared on his face, quickly turning into suspicion. He quickly turned to Ginny and asked her a few questions he knew only the real Ginny would know (Mrs. Weasley had insisted on everyone in the household learning questions to ask people that only the family would know; Harry had always been a part of the family to her. Fleur and Hermione were the only other two to learn such questions as well). Fortunately for Ginny, he merely asked the question about her stuff teddy bear, Johnny, and not a question about the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny then proceeded to ask Harry the question about Aunt Marge's favorite dog (as no death eater in his or her right mind would ever want to associate with _that_ kind of muggle). Both were satisfied by the other's answer.

Harry, nervously glancing at Colin and Luna, proceeded to ask Luna a question about Professor Slughorn's party last Halloween, and Ginny felt her blood boil. Sure, it was before they had started dating and was purely platonic, but that didn't help ease the jealousy coursing through her veins. Luckily no one but Colin noticed. Counting swiftly to ten, Ginny was again able to look at Harry's face rather than her shoes.

Colin swiftly changed the topic, bringing it away from what any guy would call dangerous territory. After telling Harry how they had gotten here, Colin asked, "so, Harry, how did you get here and do you know why we're here? Where is here exactly?" Colin glanced around the barren landscape, perhaps hoping that a Welcoming sign would be found.

Harry sighed. "I'm not sure what's going on. But I can tell you how I think I got here." And with that Harry began his story…

)CaT(

Hermione, Ron, and Harry stepped off the muggle bus. They had reached their destination: Godric's Hollow. Harry wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans. They took a few days to travel here, primarily to lose anyone who might be trailing them. As far as he knew, they had succeeded; Harry would have been surprised to learn that anyone had followed them from the Burrow. They walked away from the stop as the bus pulled away. There was no turning back now. Harry would see the land his first home had stood on. And if it was still there, they'd look at the ruins.

Hermione walked up to a streetcar vendor selling locally-grown vegetables. After buying some to cook for dinner, she asked directions to the old Potter house. Harry couldn't tell where they were going, but with all the pointing, he knew it would be quite complicated. It was a good thing Hermione was asking as neither Ron nor Harry had the trained memory for such complicated directions. Hermione soon came back and, without a word, they moved on. Harry hardly noticed anything as he walked along the street; his stomach was in a flutter from nervous anticipation. He did notice that Hermione and Ron flanked each other and thought about how it seemed that they would never admit what they were feeling for the other.

His thoughts soon drifted to the reason why they were going here. Harry hoped that some clue to the whereabouts of a horcrux or two would be there, anything to help them start out there quest, anything at all.

When Hermione finally stopped, all for the eye to see was a mass of field. "Is this it?" Ron asked.

"The vendor told me that if anything's left of the wreckage, we'll find it here."

"It doesn't look like it's here anymore," Harry responded bitterly.

Ron placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder, "Well, let's get to looking. We might still find something, mate."

Hermione was the first to move. She took the first hesitant step onto the field. It was a pretty field, the field of daydreams. The grass was waist high and swayed in the light breeze. Dandelion seeds were sent flying in the picking-up breeze. Somewhere behind her, Ron had started coughing, "Ruddy dandelion seeds!" Hermione stared at the wildflower variety. She doubted that anyone had been here since…that night. She looked for Harry, who was still standing on the path. He hadn't moved. Ron, however, was moving like a newly-born heron through the tall grass. Then he was gone.

"Ron!" Hermione and Harry ran to the spot where Ron was last seen. Hermione reached there first. "Ron! Are you alright?" Ron was sprawled in the grass, dandelion seeds dispersed through his hair like white streaks.

"Pppt! Yuck," Ron spat out a clump of white.

"Ron, are you alright, mate?" Harry had just run up. "What happened?"

"I dunno. I think I tripped on something," Ron rubbed his head. Dandelion seeds went everywhere, and his white streaks were now gone. Looking distastefully at the seeds, Ron muttered, "Ugh! What did I trip on?"

"Umm, it looks like a brick, Ron," Harry produced a red brick fragment from the grass.

Ron stood up and attempted to brush off the dandelion seeds. "Here mate," Ron held his hand out for the brick. Upon receiving the brick, Ron headed towards the path and set it down, visible for all the world to see. "No need in having someone else trip on it," Ron justified. "Well, let's keep looking," he added when both Hermione and Harry just continued to stare at him. Ron turned a light shade of pink from it all.

Hermione waited for Ron to catch up. "Are you alright, Ron?" Concern was etched through her words.

Ron was now a darker shade of pink. "Yes, 'Mione."

After an awkward pause, they headed off in opposite directions. Ron headed off in the general direction of where Harry was looking while Hermione headed off to a small glen. It took Ron a few moments to catch up to Harry.

"How's it going, mate?"

"I…I don't know. I feel like something's here, but…it's just out of reach, you know?"

After erasing the strange "whadda-ya-mean?" look off his face, Ron replied, "sure, mate. Let's go find 'Mione." Hermione was nowhere to be seen. They were surrounded by grass for all the world to see, minus a clump of trees off in the distance. Ron stated the obvious, "I don't see her."

"Maybe she headed towards those trees, Ron," Harry pointed towards the trees.

"Oh. Maybe she's found something. We should go find—" Ron stopped mid-sentence as a cloaked figure came running from the woods.

"Ron! Harry! I think I might have found something!" She gestured emphatically towards the woods; without looking to see if the boys were following her, she ran back amongst the trees.

Ron glanced at Harry and shrugged his shoulders. Then he broke into a run after Hermione, calling for her to slow down. After taking a second to register what, exactly, had happened, Harry bolted off in the same direction his friends had taken.

Upon entering the woods, Harry saw neither hide nor hair of either of his friends. Feeling the panic begin to rise in his belly, he sped up a bit. It became harder and harder to avoid the twigs and branches of the smaller trees and they began to lash at him as he passed. He stopped in front of one of the oddest trees in his life. He wasn't so sure what made the tree so odd; after all, it looked like any other tree he had every seen before. There was just something strange about it that he couldn't place.

Holding the stitch on his side, he decided to wonder about where his friends could've gone and decided that they were still in the woods. But then he started to think about the woods and decided that it would be hopeless to look for his friends in such a questionable place. After all, there had only been a few trees clumped together in the clearing. There was obviously some magic involved in this woody area. He reached out to touch the tree, pausing only inches from its bark. Should he really touch this tree? After all, if it was magical could it be a bad tree, like the whomping willow, lashing out at whoever got too close? That tree had nearly killed Ron and Harry once (as well as a car). Harry stared at the tree, willing it to do something, anything, to show what kind of tree it truly was. Deciding to trust it, Harry finally moved his hand closer to the tree. As soon as he barely felt the bark of the tree, it was gone. Harry felt a spinning sensation and the world went black.


	5. An Oasis in the Desert

Any plot holes that you guys can tell me about, I'd appreciate it. But don't expect immediate results. I'm planning on fixing this up once I've gotten through it all.

Chapter 5

When Harry's vision finally came back into focus, he realized that he was no longer in the woods, but in the middle of a field with the strange tree in front of him. As soon as it dawned on him that he wasn't where he should be, he sat up and glanced around him. It was all fields minus the broken debris that covered a large portion of the area behind him. With a gasp, Harry realized that this must have been his house. Harry felt his heart thumping in his throat when he saw what awaited him on the threshold of what was once a fairly large house.

Upon seeing him, Hermione and Ron hurried down the steps. Hermione threw her arms around Harry in a big hug. "I thought something had happened to you, you took so long!" Upon realizing that Harry wasn't breathing she let go of him and stepped back towards Ron.

Harry barely registered what she had said. Rather, his eyes were glued on the rubble they had just come from. It had to have been his house, the house that had been destroyed the same night his life had been destroyed, and by the same man as well. Now a shadow of that man had returned; he would keep returning as long as remnants of his broken soul remained in this world. And Harry was the one Voldemort had cursed to kill him.

He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Before he could voice the question he already knew the answer to, Hermione piped up, "yes, it is your house, Harry." Harry slowly rose to his feet, visibly trying to swallow a lump that really was not there. He couldn't help but remember the last time he had been there, a swish of red hair, a scream, and the maniacal laughter that caused the house to shake with dread.

Hermione must have known what that look on his face meant. She called out to deaf ears; the real world was swimming before Harry, slowly being replaced by a vivid past. And just when he couldn't stand the laughter anymore a piercing pain punctuated his face. The vision faded into reality and he was standing once again amongst friends. He barely registered Hermione's hand, as tense as she must have felt for doing something like that to her best friend.

Realizing that she had saved him from succumbing to the horrors of the past, a past he could not change, he softened his accusatory look. He also tried to smile at her, but felt like he was grimacing again. Stealing a glance towards Ron, Harry felt the need to say something, anything, to stop Ron from blowing a major blood vessel! Ron had reached new shades of red fury Harry had never seen before. "T-thanks," Harry shakily muttered.

Completely contrary to what Harry expected, Ron just stared at Harry. The redness was starting to fade from his face and Ron barely managed a "you-don't-have-to-do-this" attitude that Harry had barely been able to appease with the help of Hermione.

Ron glanced away, "We should get to looking again." He started to move towards the house.

Hermione nodded. "Harry, will you be alright? I mean, you don't have to—"

"I'll be fine," Harry tried to flash a reassuring grin, but realized it probably looked more like a grimace. "Really, I'll be fine…Look, if it's too much I'll leave, ok?"

Hermione nodded again before proceeding towards the house. Following her example, Harry squared his shoulders and walked towards the rubble.

Harry slowly climbed the steps to the house. It felt awkward to walk through what was once his door, and still should be, he silently fumed. If only Voldemort hadn't picked him to be the unfortunate victim. If only that rat hadn't squealed his parents whereabouts. If only that damned prophesy had never been spoken. If only Snape hadn't overheard the prophesy…

If only…Harry sighed. It would do no good to stand in this doorframe thinking about things that could no longer change.

Harry surveyed the crumbled mass that once was called a house. Maybe, if he stood on his head and examined it through a colorful glass of water it would resemble a house, but Harry knew he was only joking himself. Most of it was undistinguishable black soot. But he could make out an overturned desk that looked like it might've been a dark wood…yet that could have been because of the fire. He could also see what little of the walls that were left standing. All in all, it painted a very gruesome death for those that had resided in this house…his parents. Harry felt the tears running down his face and his hands fisted up before he realized he was crying. It just wasn't fair. Life that is.

Harry had no idea how long he had been crying before he headed into the house and into the next room, where Hermione and Ron were currently looking. This room had obviously faired better. The dining table was barely scorched and there was a bit more wall standing.

Hermione looked up, "Ron and I are nearly done with this room. But you could help if you like."

Harry shook his head and headed into the next room; glad Hermione hadn't noticed his tear-stained cheeks or, if she had, had the tact not to mention it.

The next room looked worse for wear than the dining room. It was all a blackened mess. This room even fared worse than the first room Harry had entered. There was very little wall left. In fact, the dining room wall that lined this room was the only wall that measured higher than a foot. The other three walls barely measured that high at their highest point (as the wall was by no means even across). Harry sifted through the mess on the floor with his feet, finding nothing more substantial than pen-sized charred wood.

Harry turned to face the tallest wall. It was, surprisingly, rather clean. He could tell that the walls, in fact, had once been painted a mint green. What was more, there was a table along the wall that hadn't been torched. It was in remarkably good condition, considering the roof had all been obliterated.

"Hermione! Ron! I think I might've found something," Harry called out.

Hearing their approaching footsteps, Harry made his way to the table and opened the door. Belatedly, he realized he should've examined it and made sure it wasn't cursed. However, Harry didn't spend too much time considering the possible outcomes from his foolishness as the contents of the drawer gripped his attention. Within the drawer were two new looking dolls. How had these dolls stayed so fresh in such a house? He picked them up and realized that one was male and the other was female. Then, with a sickening lurch, he realized that they uncannily resembled his two best friends.

"What is it, Harry," Ron asked from the doorway. Harry was in such an angle as to prevent him, or Hermione, from seeing his discovery.

Harry spluttered, "It's…it's you guys. Y-you're dolls."

"What? Harry, that doesn't make any sense. What do you mean we're dolls?" An edge of fear could be heard in Hermione's voice; Harry's tone scared even himself.

Harry started to turn to show them the dolls, but just as they were afforded a glimpse of the red-headed and brunette dolls, they were gone. They vanished along with the young man who had been holding them.

"Harry?"

)CaT(

Harry sighed. "And when I woke up I was somewhere around here. More in that direction," Harry pointed a finger eastward.

Colin did not even hide the surprise in his voice. "And that's all! We flew through the air and Ginny hit her head!"

"Ginny saw what happened to Neville. He was left on the train. The nimbly bobberheads let her," Luna added mistily. Everyone just stared at her before shaking their heads and letting it pass.

"Hey, Gin, are you alright?" Harry shifted in the sand and cast his eyes downward.

"Yeah, it was only a bump and the dream or vision or whatever you want to call it took my mind off it. Plus this dull desert." Ginny smiled. After a nudge from Colin, Ginny related her nimbly dream to Harry.

After hearing Ginny out, Harry stole a glance at Luna, who was currently inspecting the horizon through the griffin feather band. "It's funny she should mention nimbly bobberheads," Harry told the others.

"Why? Did you see one?" Colin looked a bit more eager on this point.

"Er, no. But I think I had a sort of dream about Ron and 'Mione." Harry kept his gaze away from Ginny. He was pretty sure this was hard for her since she was left behind. "I don't really remember exactly what had happened, but I remember them flipping that I had disappeared, so they started looking for clues. Hermione told Ron that walls weren't really mint green, but it was mildew—" sounds of 'eww' erupted from his small audience "—that was on the wall. Then she told Ron that the table I found the dolls in couldn't have been out there long; it wasn't weather-stained and didn't have mildew on it."

"Nimbly bobberheads are nearly impossible to find," Luna interrupted.

"They didn't find a nimbly bobberhead," Harry retorted. "They found…well, they found…they found the Malfoy crest on the drawer. Hermione thinks the dolls were meant for them to pick up, not me. And they decided to continue the mission that we had started."

Colin and Luna looked expectantly at Harry but he divulged no more. Ginny was beginning to feel bad for overhearing the trio talk that summer through some extendable ears the twins had given her. She had just felt so…so…so left out.

After waiting a little longer, Colin remarked that perhaps Malfoy was trying to get rid of Harry's friends. After all, Colin had disappeared because of Neville's new, mysterious plant; Colin had always been good friends with Ginny, not Harry while Neville was on closer terms with the trio than Colin was. Apparently thinking of something, Colin muttered, "oh!" and whipped out the plant, which he had been carrying along with the book Ginny hit her head on. He flipped it upside down and showed Harry the crest on the bottom. "Is this the same crest as on the table?"

After peering it for a little while, Harry replied, "Yeah. Yeah, I think it is."

"Ginny, do you still have that letter?"

"Yeah, I do." Ginny fished through her pocket and produced a crumbled letter. She flattened it as best she could, refolded it, and then compared the crest on the envelope with that on the plant pot. It was a match. "Damn him!" Ginny yelled. She then proceeded to crumble the letter again.

"Can I see that, Gin?" Colin held his hand out for the letter.

After a huff, Ginny literally slammed the letter into Colin's outstretched hand. "Here! Keep it!"

Colin knew better than to respond to Ginny when she was so upset, so instead, he straighten-out the letter and read it out loud. "Watch your back." Following the letter, Colin proceeded to look behind him. Nothing was there. "Uhm, perhaps we should start moving again."

"It's the time of no shadows," Luna replied hazily. "We should wait in the shade until the dark wingsterlies bring night around us. It will be easier to walk then."

Ignoring her speech about wingsterlies (which didn't exist, he muttered to himself) Colin asked, "Where, exactly, do you think we'll find shade?"

Unfazed, Luna pointed in what they considered south and said, "There." Nobody saw anything that could possibly offer shade.

"Might as well check it out," Harry stated. "After all, if Hermione were here, she'd be telling us how much better being in the shade is. Then she'd give us a bunch of facts about desert climate and that sort of rubbish. Perhaps Luna has better eyesight than us." And he shrugged his shoulders before adding, "Lead the way, Luna!"

Ginny had no idea why Harry's little speech irked her as much as it did, so she stood up, mentally berated herself, and followed the now moving Luna and Harry.

Seeing everyone else leaving him, Colin quickly stood up and brushed himself off; then he ran to catch up and walked beside Ginny. "You don't see any shade do you?" Ginny emphatically shook her head no. "Good. Neither do I." After a pause, Colin added, "But I sure hope she does. I'm sweating like a pig on a stick in one of those muggle pig roasts."

Ginny was sure he meant that he was sweating a lot. "Me too."

Soon enough, a tree shaped structure was found in the distance. As they got closer, Ginny realized it was a bunch of tree shapes, and there was a small pool! Oh, she was going to kiss Luna for this!

Colin shattered her dreams with his gloomy voice, "oh, great, a mirage! Just what I need in this state!"

"What's a…a…what did you call it?" Ginny's perplexed expression said more than here words, believe it or not.

"A mirage is a delusion after you've been in the sun for a while. Those trees and that inviting pool have to be a mirage!"

"Oh. I see the mirage too." A sad note had crept into Ginny's voice.

Colin sighed. "Wait! You see it too?" Ginny nodded her head. "Then it can't be a mirage! We both see it!" Colin grabbed Ginny's hands in his own and they started twirling in circles until both were to dizzy to keep walking. Unfortunately, the oasis was still a good distance away.

After half a minute of trying to walk, the dizziness wore off and they ran to catch up with everyone else. The result of which was two very tired and thirsty teenagers.

"Well, we should camp out here." Harry said. Then looking at Luna he added "thanks" and a smile.

Ginny's insides boiled. But she labeled it heat and went to the waterside. She was soon joined and they all drank from the pool. Perhaps this wasn't going to be as bad as she had originally thought. Before long they settled down for a good sleep, after Colin mentioned how tired they would all be if they stayed awake and waited for darkness to come.

Ginny wasn't sure how long she had been asleep but she was the only one awake now. She had a weird dream in which someone was chasing after her and she was trying to get away. She was about to be caught when she woke up. Spying figures in the distance she looked around her. As the sleepiness wore out of her eyes, she saw everyone else in her group asleep. They were all in the same general area. Looking up again, she noticed that there were two figures, one with blindingly light hair and the other darker. She woke up Colin and merely pointed in their direction. "Please tell me that you don't see anything. Please tell me it's all a marige."

Colin shook his head. "Definitely not a mirage."


End file.
